Her Empath Read online

  “Gods, kitten, you’re so fucking sexy.” All his finesse had disappeared as he fumbled with his fly. He had to get his cock free, needed to get inside her now…

  The zip gave and his erection leapt into his palm. Holding his breath, JJ dipped his knees and guided the tip to the slick, wet entrance to her pussy. Then, with one hard thrust, he was balls deep inside her.

  The world stopped for JJ. His heart contracted, his lungs refused to process air and the world outside the bedroom ceased to exist. All he could feel was her. The feel of her tight pussy clamped hard around his cock, and her soft breath on the side of his neck. The silken feel of her scales under his hands.

  Scales. She’d shifted for him.

  The universe returned, slamming back into him in a rush of sound and sensation.

  “Hmmm…” he rumbled in approval as he held still and waited for her body to adjust to him.

  Sure, he might want it hard and fast against the wall, but that didn’t mean he had to be crass and risk hurting her. He wanted her with a need that bordered of desperation, but the idea of hurting her was complete anathema to him. Just driving into her and going for it would have to wait until he’d at least prepared her a little for the invasion of his body.

  It didn’t take long. Within seconds he felt the minute shift of her muscles and knew the burning almost–pain of his penetration had eased. Because of her non–human blood, basic feelings like that were all he could read from her. That suited him fine. He didn’t want to be able to read her. At least one person in his life needed to be a mystery to him. Empaths had been known to go insane otherwise.

  As though the small movement was a signal he pulled back, then slammed into her again. His grunt mingled with her feminine gasp.

  “Open your eyes, Kitten.”

  He teased them with another slow slide out of her slick body, then thrust back into her. The movements were getting faster as his control decayed. Her eyelashes fluttered over her golden cheeks and then she looked up. Her eyes locked with his and JJ was lost. Heat, vulnerability and deep need shone in those amber depths. The need to protect her grew in his chest until it eclipsed all else. In that moment he knew he was in trouble. Serious trouble.

  “You like this? Tell me how much, tell me what you want.”

  His demand was a way of trying to re–establish control over his wayward emotions. An attempt that was blown out of the sky when she met him look for hot look.

  “Just shut up and fuck me, that’s what I want.”

  “Aye, Ma’am!”

  Speech was forgotten as he gathered her leg higher against his hip. Her body opened completely to him, he set up a hard and fast rhythm. Any other woman, he’d have been worried about the powerful way he slammed into her, but not Lyssa. Despite her haunting air of fragility, the luscious body under his hands was strong and resilient. And those scales…

  One hand against the wall for balance, he pressed her against it as he fucked her. He’d never felt this before. He’d never been so aware of his partner, even when he had a full mental link with them and could read their every thought. Perhaps that was it, with Lyssa he had to concentrate and pick up on the tiny physical clues she gave him.

  Soft moans and gasps filled the room, a feminine counterpoint to his groans. Impaling her on his cock again, he stopped and swiveled his hips. The whimpered plea that escaped her lips delighted him so much he did it again. In response, she rippled her internal muscles around him.

  White–hot need raced down his spine like a group of illegal solar racers with tricked out flyers. A band of sheer lust tightened around his cock and balls. His cock was hard to the point of pain. He could feel his climax building, quicker and harder than he’d ever known before.

  The teasing fell away as he drove into her again. There were no tricks anymore, no teasing movements or kisses. He just held on and fucked her. She seemed to sense the change in him, leaning her head back against the wall with a look of rapture on her face.

  “Yes…oh yes, like that. Harder.”

  He gritted his teeth and obeyed. Their coupling turned from sex to almost brutal lovemaking, the trust on both sides increasing with each second. On hers that he wouldn’t hurt her and on his that she would tell him if he’d gone too far.

  The tightness in his cock and balls spread outward, gaining momentum as he took her. More heavy thrusts and he was there, balancing on the edge, as if it was a cliff and the swirling sea below was a maelstrom of pleasure he ached to dive into.

  “Kitten, I can’t… I’m gonna come,” he gasped out, desperate to hold on until she’d reached her pleasure. Nice guys and Empaths wanting to claim their mates finished last. He held onto that thought as he waited for her eyes to open. He wanted to her to climax with him…

  “Come with me, I want to feel you come all over my cock.”

  He felt the heat sweep her scales. A physical sign of her climax as it raced over her body. He pushed into her again as it reached her core. A simple, single thrust that stroked every nerve ending between their joined bodies, sending them both over the edge with a scream.

  JJ woke just as the alarm started its raucous call. Reaching out, he clicked it off before it could awaken the sleeping Lyssa nestled against his side. They had a long day ahead of them, but he could afford to let her sleep an extra five minutes or so before they had to get up, shower and head their different ways.

  Five selfish minutes where he could hold her and forget about everything else. Forget that she was his boss and that her boss had ordered him to seduce her. He knew that Reilly expected him to report any day that he’d gotten Lyssa under control.

  Lying on his back, he studied the ceiling and blanked his mind. As ceilings went, it was a rather nice example. Plush fabric covered the ceiling panels, which, considering the Arcadia was a marine vessel, was an unexpected level of luxury.

  It no doubt had something to do with the fact the ships CO held a senior rank. Although he had noted that the rest of the ship was rather Spartan and utilitarian, even Lyssa’s quarters and office. Unlike other senior officers, she didn’t have the expensive carpeting or valuable paintings fleet often used to soothe bruised egos. That was the softly–softly approach. First it was bribes, then, when a commander became too much of a problem, they sent in an Empath like JJ to deal with it.

  Not so with Lyssa. They hadn’t even tried the bribe route by the looks of it, just sent him straight in. Having been aboard the Arcadia for a while, he realized that fleet command literally didn’t have the tools or the mind–set to deal with her. She was a puzzle wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in the most deliciously responsive woman he’d ever met.

  And he loved her.

  Used to examining emotions—both his own and other peoples—JJ didn’t shy away from the feeling. Looking back over his actions in the last three weeks, it was obvious he’d been smitten with her from the start. He just hadn’t wanted to admit it.

  He dropped a gentle kiss on her soft hair and closed his eyes. Just five more minutes with her all to himself, and he’d be ready to face the day.

  5

  At five o’clock the ship was a hive of activity. They’d entered the system in stealth mode and were holding position away from the main space lanes. Nestled into the lee side of an uninhabited moon and with the cloak engaged, they were completely hidden.He strode through the corridors on Lyssa’s heels as the ship readied for action. The cloak was, of course, highly illegal and one of the many things JJ was now noticing about the Arcadia. Like the fact the marines assembled in the main transport bay were more heavily armed and armored than was usual.

  “Are they carrying the KZ307?”

  JJ’s eyes widened in surprise. The KZ series was new and the 307 in particular was so new that, for most of the fleet, it was just a technical drawing. Then it all made sense. Lyssa had been bribed just like the rest of the senior staff.

  Her price wasn’t expensive carpeting and valuable knick–knacks; it was cutting edge technology an
d weaponry that would keep her crew alive. All of which made the Arcadia one of the most fearsome battle cruisers in the fleet. No wonder Reilly wanted her leashed. With the Arcadia and the contacts she had, she was damn dangerous.

  “Ten–hut! General on deck!”

  Boot heels hammered against the deck in one decisive blow as the marines in the room came to attention at the same time. The sound was like a blow, one JJ could feel right in the center of his chest. A lot of the fleet ridiculed the marines for their endless and strict drill. The fancy uniforms reminiscent of an earlier age were nothing like the sleek space–age versions sported by the rest of the fleet, but the Marine Corps clung to them with a passion. It had gained them a reputation as dinosaurs, an archaic service some were trying to cull from the CFS.

  “As you were.”

  Lyssa waved her hand and strode through the group, totally at ease in the middle of all the testosterone–driven aggression just waiting to happen. As she walked, two tall marines fell into step next to her. One handed her a tactical–rig and the other a rifle.

  JJ was already wearing his, but it was nothing like the one Lyssa slid on with ease. His was drawn from stock and so new it squeaked when he moved, whereas hers was well worn and mended. His was the standard configuration of pockets, most of which he hadn’t a clue what they were for. Lyssa’s was stripped down, the pockets and loops moved around her slender, toned figure in a different setup. No doubt she could find her way around it in her sleep.

  “Sitrep, Commander Ryder. We need to be ready to move in thirty.” She slung the rifle, another KZ307, over her shoulder as she spoke, her attention on the men around her. Jealousy stabbed through JJ’s gut. The other men reacted to her presence like flowers to the sun. He could understand why, her very presence was warming and addictive, but he wanted to be the one basking in her attention and no one else.

  “Yes, Ma’am. Shuttles are ready to leave. We’re just waiting on your say–so to board…?”

  She nodded sharply and turned to JJ. As her amber eyes wandered over him, he caught a flare of heat in their depths. Her lips pursed in disapproval, the heat quashed. She hadn’t wanted him to come on the operation. They’d had their first real lovers tiff this morning over it. JJ had won, mainly by placating her with kisses and soft promises for tonight. He didn’t care. Where this woman was concerned, he had no pride whatsoever.

  “Come on then, let’s make sure you don’t get yourself killed. Reilly would be pissed as hell if that happened.” Her tone was acerbic, but JJ caught the flash of something warmer in her eyes as she turned away and strode toward the combat shuttle.

  “Whooo–hooo!”

  The joyful call echoed through the cabin as the shuttle plummeted through the atmosphere. JJ clung to his harness and tried not to be sick. He’d heard about the marine drop–shuttles of course. He knew that they worked by literally freefalling through the atmosphere and trusting in the massive braking shields to stop them before they hit the ground. If the shields failed, then the shuttle would do a good impression of a jam–jar as it shattered on the floor.

  That thought didn’t ease his nerves one iota.

  “T–minus three.” Lyssa pressed the com–unit looped over her ear and yelled orders. “Lock and load!”

  Around him rifles were checked in brisk, professional movements. How they could focus JJ had no idea. His stomach fought for space with his tonsils and the rush of blood to his brain made him dizzy.

  Calm down, he told himself, you’ve done combat simulations before and you listened to the briefing. You know what’s going to happen and what you need to do.

  Yeah, academically he knew all that. As he was rapidly finding out though, looking knowledgeable and experienced in a briefing room was one thing. Heading into the real thing with only seven combat simulations under his belt was a completely different matter. They weren’t heading into a hostile zone either…they were slipping in under the radar.

  “T–minus two.”

  Where had the last minute gone? JJ hardly had time to think before Lyssa yelled another warning, “Braking in three seconds.”

  Around him the marines folded themselves back into their seats. Arms wrapped around whatever weaponry they were carrying, they drew their knees up and dropped their heads. JJ was too busy watching them to move. What were they doing? He’d never seen this in the simulations…

  The next second everything happened at once. A slender but strong hand forced his head down as the brake shields activated. The metal of the shuttle around them screamed as the different stresses threatened to tear it apart.

  Something slammed into the shuttle with a deafening bang. JJ clung to his harness. This was it, they’d hit the ground. They were all going to be squashed as the shuttle around them drove into the unforgiving surface. His stomach took a nosedive to his feet and bounced back up again. He couldn’t think. He was going to be sick.

  “Breathe, it’ll go off.” Lyssa let go of the back of his head. She was already out of her seat, navigating the crowded center of the shuttle with an ease JJ envied.

  “T–minus one, people,” she bellowed over the din. “Up and out, ready to de–bus on my mark!”

  The de–bus went smoother than Lyssa expected with JJ accompanying them. He’d surprised and irritated her with his insistence on accompanying them. She squashed her annoyance. Didn’t Reilly trust her to run even a simple intel gathering op anymore?

  That was what she feared the most—being side–lined because of her age. Most from her cadet year were either retired or running desks now. Not Lyssa. She lived for the action in the field. Pull her out of it and stick her behind a desk and she’d wither and die like a plant without water.

  Pulling her rifle tight into her shoulder, she kept her eyes on her assigned firing arc. Down here she wasn’t Major–General Ryland, a senior officer swanning around giving orders and letting others run around whilst she put her feet up. No, dirt–side she was alpha–team leader and she pulled her weight like the rest.

  The last of the teams de–bussed and took their places like the parts of a well–oiled machine. Apart from JJ. The Empath half–staggered, half–fell from the shuttle, then tried to orientate himself. She watched him out of the corner of her eye. It was almost laughable. His tac–rig was so fresh off the rack she could smell the ‘new’ on it and he held his 307 as though it might turn and bite.

  Great, another combat–certified fleetie who’d never seen actual combat. The disdain of a career soldier who’d done her basic training in the middle of a war filled her. As far as she was concerned, the combat simulation training the fleeties gave their people was about as useful as a chocolate fireguard. All it did was teach them to line up nicely so the enemy could shoot them down like ducks in a row.

  “Down.” She grabbed the shoulder of his tac–rig and pulled him down next to her. “Stay behind me, do what I do and try not to get yourself killed. Okay?”

  He nodded mutely, skin still a little green under his camo paint. For an instant she felt sorry for him. Combat drops were rough until you got used to them. Even she’d thrown up her first couple, so he was well ahead of her. No way would she tell him that, though.

  The shuttle lifted off behind them, disappearing into the cloud cover above. Instantly, Lyssa was all business. With a series of quick–fire hand gestures, she had her section up and moving. They had a fair bit of ground to cover through hostile territory and they couldn’t afford to waste any time.

  It was quiet, too quiet. Half an hour into their patrol, Lyssa’s instincts were screaming at her. She’d done thousands of patrols during her career and everything about this one was wrong. It was too quiet, the land around them as sleepy as the English countryside she’d been forced to live in for six months as a child. Even in high summer the place had been too damn cold for her. Suppressing a shiver, she turned again, her sharp eyes on the fields and trees around them.

  There were no animals, no sounds. Regardless of what planet, there was a
lways some kind of natural movement, even if that movement was from the carnivorous plant–life like on Selinas Four. Not here though, not now.

  Lyssa dropped to one knee, her body humming with awareness and purpose. Instantly, the section behind her did the same. Even JJ. She was pleased with how fast the Empath was picking things up. They’d make a soldier of him yet.

  Pressing the com–unit against her ear to activate it, she murmured, “Too quiet, keep your eyes and ear—“ She didn’t finish her sentence. Gunfire and grenades erupted from the sleepy landscape around them.

  “TAKE COVER!”

  Grabbing JJ’s tac–rig, she dived for cover, shoving him into the smallest hollow between a bush and a fence. Little more than a scrape in the ground, it was all there was. Operating on pure instinct, she slid into position next to him. Before she’d stopped sliding, Lyssa was firing back at the enemy.

  Emotion and fear drained away as she selected her targets and fired in the same movement, JJ doing the same beside her. Most officers of her level were into the braid and glory of their rank. They spent more time at swanky functions than on the training range. Not Lyssa. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn her dress uniform and her scores on the range were amongst the highest on the Arcadia, if not in the corps.

  Something, not fear and not anger, coursed through her. Despite best efforts, the section had been spilt up with surgical precision. Another grenade thudded into the ground nearby. Lyssa threw her arm over her head as soil sprayed the two of them.

  “Who the fuck are these people? They’ve got FK–Threessssss.” She didn’t bother to contain the slight hiss of her forked tongue this time. This was combat and she’d have happily paraded around naked if it got the job done.

  “Are you trying to distract me?” JJ’s wry comment took her by surprise. She slid him a quick glance as she reloaded. He wasn’t a bad shot at all and now that they were in the thick of it, he was handling his rifle like a pro. “No flicking that tongue about when people are trying to kill us. It’s very distracting.”